DOG DAYS → [SIRIUS BLACK X READER]

Chapter Three

The following day, all houses are cleared to go back to their dorms and students are allowed to spend their Sunday as they wish.

When you wake up, your back aching from the eight hours of what barely constitutes as sleep on the stone floor of the Great Hall, you drag yourself back up to the tower in hopes of sleeping away the rest of the morning- maybe even the whole day, if you can manage that. You know that with what happened yesterday still being on the forefront of everyone's mind, staying away from the gossip that's to come from such an event is the best thing for you right now.

With the idea that somehow Scruffy is connected to Sirius Black haunting you like the plague, it feels like everything that involves him is now leaving you with a bad taste in your mouth. You didn't mean to put such a ridiculous concept in your head, but now it won't go away, making itself comfortable in your mind and leaving you an unsettled mess that's way too concerned over the possible correlation between a dog's absence and a murderer's attempt to break into a school. Hanging out among other students right after all the commotion will only leave you surrounded by people chatting away about the same man you're trying not to be reminded of.

When you reach the dorms and promptly flop onto your mattress, rolling over onto your side and making yourself comfortable nestled within your blankets, you find that somehow despite your efforts, a restful sleep is continuing to evade you. The silence of the room is less than welcoming, as it leaves you alone with your thoughts, the same ones you're trying so hard to rid yourself of.

Your mind wanders back to the conversation that you overheard between Dumbledore and Professor Snape; the latter of which was about to imply that Professor Lupin was somehow involved in getting Sirius into the castle, but why? What connection could there be between the two? It's not even any of your business, but it's as if the more you ponder these questions, the more you're left with, and you know that unless you start finding answers, they won't go away.

Your mind really just can't help itself, can it? You being left to your thoughts only allows your mind to start on another matter; the most pressing one in your opinion. With you wandering around outside all day, it's amazing that you hadn't once noticed anyone trying to sneak their way in or out of the castle. But perhaps you did see just that. The image of Scruffy bounding out of one of the windows has practically been playing on repeat in your head, and it does nothing to help you as you desperately try to play it off as nothing more than a mere coincidence. This is exactly what you didn't want. You didn't want to be led back to this same outlandish thought, that maybe Sirius Black was the damn dog.

It could just be a fluke. Another example of a "wrong time, wrong place," chance happening that's made your encounters with Scruffy clash so suspiciously with the events of Sirius Black breaking in, but there's just one too many coincidences for you to not dwell on it, no matter how much you don't want to.

Sleep isn't an option anymore, at least that much is clear to you. You throw the blankets off of your figure, sitting upright momentarily while pinching the bridge of your nose in frustration. "You're not going to give this one up, are you?" You grumble to yourself, already knowing the answer. You climb out of bed, hastily getting dressed and leaving the Gryffindor Tower as soon as you do; a determined look on your face as you head straight for the library.

Maybe you can meet yourself halfway. If you're this caught up over Sirius Black, perhaps starting on looking into Snape's claims and nipping that thought in the bud before it can get carried away will allow you some semblance of rationality, and you can worry about Sirius and Scruffy's connection later if this one doesn't give you the peace of mind you're hoping for.

***

It's amazing isn't it? How one stupid, totally insane and out there suspicion can have the power to take over all of your thoughts and leave you a jumbled mess. It's not a good thing when those ideas try to intrude on your daily life, and it's definitely not a good thing to let them. But as you find yourself walking straight to the section of the library dedicated to past yearbooks, you feel like the only way you'll be able to concentrate on anything else is if you humor the persistent part of you that refuses to drop any curiosity you have that's linked to Sirius Black. You figure that yearbooks would be the best place to start to see if there really is a connection between Sirius Black and Professor Lupin, and to also take a peek into the past of the man who everyone is waiting for to strike again.